Shoe care

[CMcG]

I'm lucky enough to be a very average sized man. Size 42, 8.5, 9, shoe, 16.5 neck, 38-40 chest, 34 waist. I go thrift store shopping at least once a week and worked in men's wear retail in my University days. The combination of experience with clothing and common size means I can basically get whatever I'm after used if I'm a bit patient. I appreciate the fact that this is not the same for all men.

You and I are about the same size, but you seem to have better luck... that may be a combination of persistence, patience, and better local thrift shops. Being close to downtown, the second hand stores near to me are usually quite picked over. I've had much better success north of the city (Newmarket) or back home in Edmonton.

[Cardinal]

I'm in, and will shoot you a note late fall/early winter. Amazing how long it takes to turn in one's uniform!

Best,
Patrick

Cool! Let me know when you get here. We seriously need to form a Hill Country group for kilt nights or something. The Boerne-Bandera-Kerrville triangle has quite a few kilties; surely we can get something going!

The cobbler I've used in the past is up in Llano. But there's also a good one in San Antonio that one of my co-workers has used, and based on what I've seen of his work, I'd recommend him too.

[JohntheBiker]

I agree with repair when possible but the last time I went to a cobbler and asked him to resole my shoes, he quoted me $130. That's a whole lot to spend to resole a pair of shoes that cost me $14.99 - $19.99 at the thrift shop.

Do you know a competent cobbler with reasonable prices in the GTA, John?

Nathan, I use the shoe repair at College Park (Yonge & College), mostly because I work there. He seems to provide reasonable value - I haven't had any problems with his work. I wouldn't say that he was a special find, it was more about convenience.

John

[AFS1970]

The two pairs of shoes I have had the longest wear out of have been the cheapest by far. Somewhere around the end of High School I got a pair of really cheap loafers at a department store that has long since closed. They were never meant to last but I didn't wear them all that much and they lasted until a couple of years ago. They were a very thin leather and were not worth repairing.

The second is a pair of synthetic shoes I bought for a uniform. I needed to replace a pair that I had worn out and decided to go with a cheaper off brand pair. I got them, wore them once and was ready to send them back, they felt horrible. Then while cleaning them I noticed that they had an almost paper thin insole. After replacing them with a common pair of insoles they felt better and I have worn them for years. I just replaced the insoles in them this year and they are still going, although they are not one I wear that often.

I will say that last year I finally spent some money and bought myself a nice pair of wing tips. I am much more comfortable in nice shoes than the cheap ones I had been wearing. I expect them to last a long time with care, but I was amazed looking back on it how long I got out of the cheap ones.